California is one of just three states that prohibits pharmacists from selling syringes without a prescription, but a bill introduced Tuesday could change that.

The bill, by Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, builds on a similar law, a pilot program approved by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2004 that is set to expire at the end of this year. But unlike the existing legislation, which requires the approval from local governments, Yee's bill would allow any pharmacist to sell sterile syringes without a prescription.

"This is an effective public health measure which is proven to reduce health care costs to taxpayers," Yee said in a statement. "It's a moral as well as fiscal imperative."

Supporters of the legislation, SB1029, say allowing people to purchase syringes without a prescription would reduce rates of HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and other blood-borne diseases that can live in a used syringe. New Jersey and Delaware are the two other states that prohibit the sale of over-the-counter syringes.

The current pilot program allows an adult to buy 10 syringes in one pharmacy visit. Yee's legislation would increase the number of syringes to 30.

Sharing used syringes is the most common cause of new hepatitis C infections in California and the second-most-common cause of HIV infections. Each year, about 3,000 Californians contract hepatitis C and 750 residents contract HIV through syringe sharing, according to Yee's office.

But just 15 counties and four cities in California have allowed syringe sales under the current program. Among them are San Francisco, Marin, San Mateo, Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

Yee's chief of staff, Adam Keigwin, said many counties refused to participate in the pilot program because their officials didn't want to have the appearance of making it any easier for addicts to abuse drugs. But Keigwin said improved syringe access reduces rates of HIV and hepatitis without contributing to drug use, crime or unsafe discard of syringes.

"Study after study show it's good public policy. Let's take politics out of it and make it statewide," said Keigwin, adding that pharmacists, under Yee's bill, would still have to choose whether to sell syringes without a prescription. He said any costs associated with the bill would be offset by savings from reduced infection rates.

"We're not out to politicize this. We're out to decrease sexually transmitted diseases," said Fred Mayer, president of Pharmacists Planning Service, a San Rafael nonprofit advocacy group. He said the law would also give pharmacists the opportunity to counsel addicts about treatment programs.